Letter From Dad~
My Dear Child,
You may not know me, but I know everything about you. I know when you sit down and when you rise up.
I am familiar with all your ways. Even the very hairs on your head are numbered. For you were made in my image. In me you live and move and have your being. For you are my offspring. I knew you even before you were conceived. I chose you when I planned creation. You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book. I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live. You are fearfully and wonderfully made..
I knit you together in your mother’s womb. And brought you forth on the day you were born. I have been misrepresented by those who don’t know me. I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love.And it is my desire to lavish my love on you. Simply because you are my child and I am your Father. I offer you more than your earthly father ever could. For I am the perfect Father. Every good gift you receive comes from my hand. For I am your provider and I meet your needs.
My plan for your future has always been filled with hope. Because I love you with an everlasting love. My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore. And I rejoice over you with singing. I will never stop doing good to you. For you are my treasured possession. I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul.
And I want to show you great and marvelous things. For if you seek me with all your heart, you will find me. So, Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart. For it is I who gave you those desires. I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine. For I am your greatest encourager.
I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles. When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you. As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart.
One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes. And I will take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth.
I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus. For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed. And to tell you that I am not counting your sins. Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled. His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you.
I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love. If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me. And nothing will ever separate you from my love again. When it’s time for you to Come home and I’ll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen.
I have always been your Father, and will always be your Father.
My question is….Will you be my child?
I am waiting for you.With Love, Your Father,
Almighty God
Letter from Dad….
A Daughter’s Worth: Week 11 / Day 3 – Be Prepared to Wait on God
Winning Him Without Words: Teachable Moments
There are limited moments in our daily lives. In this day of the smartphone, the countless activities with the kids, the full-time job, the dinner preparation, and sleep (if we are lucky!), we often are not intentional with how we spend our moments. But think about this – moments are here and gone in a flash. We only have 1,440 minutes every single day. How are you spending each of your minutes? Are you being intentional? Are you taking advantage of the teachable moments that arise with your children or nieces/nephews/other children in your life?
I love Lynn’s story about her prayer bus. She took what would normally be a mundane daily activity – driving the kids to school – and turned it into a time to connect with her kids. She prayed over their upcoming day with them and through this activity, her kids saw that her faith is real. She was able to teach them to rely on God and to turn to God for their needs as they went into their school day. What an incredible gift to her kids!
But we must be ready for these moments. And sometimes we must create them if they are not spontaneously popping up on their own.
Are you ready to drop everything when your son/daughter/niece/nephew/granddaughter/grandson/cousin/any other child in your life drops a teachable moment right in your lap? Often we are so consumed with worldly things and are not so attuned to what is right in front of us. We do not realize it right away…and then the moment has passed. The teachable moment is gone.
So, I challenge you this week to be alert to the teachable moments that will come into your life. Pray that the Lord will open your eyes and your heart to these moments. Seek Him for how to respond; in all situations, show love and grace.
Let’s Pray: Lord, we ask that You open our eyes, ears, minds, and hearts to the teachable moments that our children present to us each day. Help us to minister to their needs as they arise and to give them wise biblical counsel as You guide and direct us. Help us to faithfully guide these children you have entrusted to us, Lord, whether it is through our biological birthing of them or whether it is through adoption, familial relationship, friendship, or any other relationship. In Jesus name, Amen!
Your Assignment: Tell us about a teachable moment you have experienced with a child in your life.
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Our next Women’s Online Bible Study
“Crazy Love” by Francis Chan
Begins January 6, 2013.
To sign up for this new Online Bible Study, click HERE and follow the instructions. You will also be given a link to where you can purchase this bible study. We’re looking forward to learning about this “Crazy Love” with you!!
We would LOVE to have your feedback on this study! Will you take a few minutes to complete the following survey? Your responses will help us create the best online bible study experience for you! CLICK THIS LINK to fill out the short 10 question form. Your responses are completely anonymous, I promise!! Thank you so much!
Please email Christi@girlfriendscoffeehour.com if you have any questions, or if you have a private comment that you would like to forward to one of our bloggers in regards to their post that day.
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GCH: Victorious Healing – “Life’s Healing Choices” begins January 6, 2013
Girlfriends Coffee Hour
is excited to announce a brand new ministry
GCH:Victorious Healing.
This ministry will sponsor its first
Online Bible Study,
“Life’s Healing Choices” by John Baker,
on January 6, 2013.
Won’t You Join Us?
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To sign up for this Online Bible Study, click HERE and you will be taken to our sign-up form. Follow the instructions. Once we receive your registration, we will contact you with further details.
Winning Him Without Words: What About the Kids? (Weekly Reading Assignment)
“Your calling is simply to love this man in your life and love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength. Leave the rest to God.” (pg. 166)
Well, ladies, we have officially read and studied through all 10 keys to thriving in a spiritually mismatched marriage! Let’s do a quick review, shall we?
Key #1: Know that You’re Not Alone!
Key #2: Don’t Save Your Husband – Save Yourself
Kay #3: Stay Connected
Key #4: Know the Essentials of Love: Hope, Joy, Peace and Trust (Oh, Yeah, and Respect)
Key #5: Believe Your Marriage is Blessed
Key #6: Trade Perfection for Authenticity
Key #7: Pick and Choose Your Battles
Key #8: Move from Hurt to Healing – Seasons of Marriage
Key #9: Keep Your Armor On – You’re at War!
Key #10: Learn When to Pray the Most Dangerous Prayer
I don’t know about you, but I have learned SO much with this study. This book is definitely one I will look back to again and again! I encourage you to read the conclusion today and then dig in to our final week starting tomorrow. I can’t believe it is almost over!
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The last week of our study, we are going to talk about the kids. What do you do in a spiritually mismatched home when you have children present? This has the potential to be a very touchy area in a marriage. This section of our book can be found in APPENDIX 1.
Here is our Reading Assignment for the week:
Dec 10 – Prov 22:6 – What About the Kids / Where to Start – Beverly
Dec 11 – Teachable Moments – Jennifer
Dec 12 – Start When They Are Young – Donna
Dec 13 – As They Grow – Sarah
Dec 14 – Discovery / Prayer – Martha
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Let’s Pray: Father God, as we go into our last week of this study, I pray that you will open our hearts and minds to what you have for each one of us. For those of us with children or those of us blessed to have nieces and nephews or other children in our lives, Lord, we ask that you show us how to be a positive spiritual influence in their lives. I pray that you touch each child represented by every woman participating in this study and bless them as they grow into the men and women you created them to be. Help us to guide them and teach them in Your ways, Father. In Jesus precious and holy name, I pray, Amen!
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Our next Women’s Online Bible Study
“Crazy Love” by Francis Chan
Begins January 6, 2013.
To sign up for this Online Bible Study, click HERE and follow the instructions. You will also be given a link to where you can purchase this bible study. We’re looking forward to learning about this “Crazy Love” with you!!
We would LOVE to have your feedback on this study! Will you take a few minutes to complete the following survey? Your responses will help us create the best online bible study experience for you! CLICK THIS LINK to fill out the short 10 question form. Your responses are completely anonymous, I promise!! Thank you so much!
A Daughter’s Worth: Week 11 – Fulfilling Your Purpose
Week 11 — Fulfilling Your Purpose
Did you know that you, yes YOU, were created to do good things for the Lord, for such a time as this? Ephesians 2:10 tells us, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago”. God knew before you were even born that you would do good things! He already had those things planned out before you were even thought of! Isn’t that something to think about?!?!
So how do we know what those good things are that He has planned for us to do? It starts by seeking Him first. Being ready and willing to seek Him, to hear Him, and to follow Him.
This week in Week 11, that’s exactly what we are going to talk about….”How do I fulfill the purpose God has for me?” So let’s start by looking at our Reading Assignment for this week. If you are behind on the study, I would encourage you to catch up as quickly as possible. This is really going to be an amazing chapter this week!
READING ASSIGNMENT:
Monday, Day 1: Be ready to hear God’s voice
Tuesday, Day 2: Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit
Wednesday, Day 3: Be prepared to wait on God
Thursday, Day 4: Be willing to accept “yes” or “no”
Friday, Day 5: Be confident of God’s involvement
And then Saturday, Coleen will have Week 11 about the Lord’s Prayer! This has been an awesome series! I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have!
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And now a word from Morgan:
Hey Girls,
Hope you have been a awesome time in this study! This next week is all about fulfilling our purpose on Earth, which I know may sound strange to some of you, but we have a purpose we were put here on Earth for a reason. Which to me blows my mind, this week we will be talking about how we need to listen to God when He talks to us, And that we also need to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit, and follow His lead.
We will also talk about just being confident that God is at work in us, and to also be willing to hear “Yes” or “No” from Him, which is hard at times, but I know that over this next week we will grow closer to God, and listen to His Call for our lives!
Have a Blessed Week Everyone!
Christi & Morgan
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If you are interested in joining us in our GCH:decaf Teen Girls Ministry, please click the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage. Just follow the instructions on the form and hit submit. We’ll be happy to add you to one of our Online Bible Study Groups! Please email GCH_Decaf@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information.
GCH: What’s on Your Plate? – Mexican Chicken Casserole
Before I share my recipe today, I would like to invite you to our Online Bible Study Sign-Up page. This is where you will find all the information about our upcoming bible studies. The Online Bible Studies begin Jan 6, 2013! So it’s important to get signed up as soon as possible.
Our Women’s Online Bible Study Group will be reading “Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God” by Francis Chan. This is an amazing book about God’s love for us! My church did this study a few years ago, and it made a huge impact on my own life! I know it will impact yours, as well! God is love. Crazy, relentless, all-powerful love. Have you ever wondered if we’re missing it? It’s crazy, if you think about it. The God of the universe–the Creator of nitrogen and pine needles, galaxies and E-minor–loves us with a radical, unconditional, self-sacrificing love. And what is our typical response? We go to church, sing songs, and try not to cuss. Whether you’ve verbalized it yet or not…we all know somethings wrong. Does something deep inside your heart long to break free from the status quo? Are you hungry for an authentic faith that addresses the problems of our world with tangible, even radical, solutions? God is calling you to a passionate love relationship with Himself. Because the answer to religious complacency isn’t working harder at a list of do’s and don’ts–it’s falling in love with God. And once you encounter His love, as Francis Chan describes it, you will never be the same. Because when you’re wildly in love with someone, it changes everything.
Our Single Women’s Online Bible Study Group will be reading “Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul” by John and Stasi Eldredge. The message of Captivating is this: Your heart matters more than anything else in all creation. The desires you had as a little girl and the longings you still feel as a woman are telling you of the life God created you to live. He offers to come now as the Hero of your story, to rescue your heart and release you to live as a fully alive and feminine woman. A woman who is truly captivating.
Our brand new GCH:Victorious Healing Online Bible Study Group will be reading “Life’s Healing Choices” by John Baker. We’ve all been hurt by other people, we’ve hurt ourselves, and we’ve hurt others. And as a result, every single one of us ends up with some sort of hurt, hang-up, or habit. But the question we all face is, Where do we go from here? Life’s Healing Choices offers freedom from our hurts, hang-ups, and habits through eight healing choices that promise true happiness and life transformation. Using the Beatitudes of Jesus as a foundation, Senior Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church and John Baker, who is also a pastor at Saddleback, developed the eight choices shared in this book. This is going to be an AMAZING study!!
You can sign up for one, or all three of these studies, by clicking HERE. We look forward to studying the amazing books with you!
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And now onto our amazing Mexican Chicken Casserole! Oh my goodness, this is so good! I found this on www.SouthernPlate.com. Christy Jordan is one of my favorite bloggers! I have her cookbook “Southern Plate”, and it is filled with some amazing home-style recipes that will please any palate. The recipe below is how I actually made this recipe. Check out both recipes to see which one you and your family love! Click on the recipe headline to be taken to the actual recipe.
Mexican Chicken Casserole
Ingredients:
4 cups of cooked, chopped chicken (about 4 to 5 breasts halves) 2 cups of instant brown rice 1 can cream of chicken soup 1 cup sour cream 1 small can of minced green chilies 1/2 cup frozen diced onion 1 can Ro*Tel tomatoes 1/4 teaspoon cumin 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1 1/2 cups chicken broth 8 oz shredded cheddar cheese, divided- Combine all ingredients and half of cheddar cheese in a large bowl. Mix well.
- Turn out into a greased casserole dish and top with remaining cheese.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.
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Bon appetite,
Christi
Lady in Waiting: Developing Patience
Have you ever heard the phrase “Patience is a virtue”? Well, curious-little-me decided to look up where that saying came from. As it turns out, there is an entire list of 7 heavenly virtues (to counter the 7 deadly sins). This list is derived from the Psychomachia (“Contest of the Soul”), an epic poem written by Aurelius Clemens Prudentius (c. AD 410). These 7 virtues include: chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, patience, kindness, and humility.
Aurelius made a pretty good list, but I think he plagiarized or perhaps he drew some inspiration from Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness self-control; against such things there is no law.”
So how can we develop these virtues? How can we develop the virtue of patience?
I believe that if we ask the Lord to help us develop the fruits of the Spirit (patience being one of them) then He will give us situations and opportunities in which we can develop our requests. It’d be nice if He would just zap us down some “instant patience,” but that’s not how He works. And what a blessing! He’s given each of us that opportunity RIGHT NOW! We can practice and develop our patience now in our singleness so we may glorify Him wherever He may lead us in the future.
I want to draw your attention to three points made by our authors:
- Marriage is not a need.
- Marriage is not a right.
- Marriage does not complete a person.
As I write to you, I cannot tell you that I will ever get married. To be honest, God may not have that in His plans for my life. And I must be okay with that possibility. Ask yourself if you are truly okay with that possibility. Have you turned your desire for marriage and a spouse completely over to God? This is a daily submission for me. “Lord, go before me today, and carry me through. I want to do Your will today; I want to live the life You’ve planned and be the person You’ve created me to be.”
God put a verse on my heart this week to share with you, dear Ladies in Waiting. Romans 8:37-39: “Now, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present (singleness) nor things to come (either more singleness or marriage), nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
WHAT A PROMISE! Jesus is our Husband and absolutely nothing can separate us from His love! Not even ourselves, our impatience, our earthly desires, or our temptations can separate us. As we wait, let us focus on our love relationship with Him. His love is never-failing and never-ending!
In love,
Carissa
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Let’s Pray:
Heavenly Father, we know and trust that Your ways are higher than ours. Help us to trust in Your plans and Your timing for the desires of our hearts. Lord, make our desires to be Your desires. Father, grant us a spirit of patience as we wait upon You. Father, thank you for Your perfectly constant and completely fulfilling love. We love you, too, Father. In your precious Name, Amen.
Your Assignment:
I have two questions for you. Answer whichever you prefer – or both!
- Do you consider marriage a “goal” for your life, and do you think it should be? As a Lady in Waiting, what should be our goal?
- How are you developing a patient heart? Share your experiences and strategies with us!
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Our Next Single Women’s Online Bible Study
“Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul”
by John & Stasi Eldredge
Begins January 6, 2013
To sign up for this Online Bible Study, click HERE and follow the instructions. You will also be given a link to where you can purchase this bible study. We’re looking forward to studying “Captivating” with you!!
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A Daughter’s Worth: Week 10 / Day 3: Continue to Grow
For the A Daughter’s Worth Online Bible Study, you will need the book, your Bible, pen or pencil, a highlighter and a quiet place. You can order the book right through our website from clicking the sign-up form button located at the top of our webpage.
If you are interested in joining us in our GCH: decaf Teen Girls Ministry, please click the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage. Just follow the instructions on the form and hit submit. We’ll be happy to add you to one of our Online Bible Study Groups! Please emailGCH_Decaf@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information.
GCH:Victorious Healing – Life’s Healing Choices: Freedom from Your Hurts, Hang-Ups, and Habits … Starts Soon!
Through life, we often think recovery is only for alcoholics or drug addicts. Regardless of what issue you may be struggling with in life, whether it is financially, emotionally, through chemical dependency, sexual addictions, food issues, lying, depression, anxiety (just to name a few), we all have a hurt or a struggle that causes us pain and hinders our walk with God.
‘All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’
Romans 3:23
There is not a struggle or hurt that is greater or lesser than the other; just as there is no one sinner worse than the other. We all need God’s hope, healing and recovery through these hurts.
So many times we try to fix our problems ourselves, finding that we turn right back to the comfort of our faulty coping skills. This blog will help you realize that no matter what your hurt or struggle may be, God wants to give you hope and healing if you will trust and allow Him to. With the blogs, studies and fellowship of this group, you will have the opportunity to begin to feel the freedom and peace of healing from your hurts and struggles.
We are excited you have decided to join us on this journey- so grab your cup of coffee and get ready for the ride!
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Our first GCH: Victorious Healing
Online Bible Study
Begins January 6, 2013
Sign Up Today!
This 8 week study takes the 8 Beatitudes from one of Jesus’ most famous sermons, the Sermon on the Mount – Matthew 5: 3-10. Through the principles outlined in the beatitudes, you will find the hope, healing and happiness God has intended for you. The book outlines how you can leave your past hurts and struggles behind and begin to rely on God to help you focus on the amazing future He has planned for you.
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